CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: THURS. SEPT. 1, 2011

VATICAN: POPE: ATTENDS CONCERT-SEPT. PRAYER INTENTION

AMERICA: USA: BISHOPS: CREATE DECENT WAGE JOBS- HELP POOR

EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: RIP FR. ALAN FUDGE: 'ICON OF CHRIST'

ASIA: KOREA: CONCERT TO END DEATH PENALTY

AUSTRALIA: CALL TO PARTICIPATE ANTI-POVERTY WEEK

AFRICA: NIGERIA: ARCHBISHOP DISTURBED BY VIOLENCE

TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 1: ST. GILES

TODAY'S GOSPEL: SEPT. 1: LUKE 5: 1-11

VATICAN: POPE: ATTENDS CONCERT-SEPT. PRAYER INTENTION

1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the internal courtyard of the ApostolicPalace at Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father attended a concert in his honour organised by Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, former director of the Choir of the Sistine Chapel. (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)

The soloists, sopranos Enrica Fabbri and Lykke Anholm and baritone Michele Govi, as well as the Rossini Chamber Choir of Pesaro and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Marches "FORM" were conducted by Simone Baiocchi.

The programme included four pieces composed by Cardinal Bartolucci himself: the poem "Benedictus", specially written for this occasion, for soprano, choir and three equal voices; the "Ave Maria" from the opera "Il Brunellesco" for soprano, choir and three equal voices; the sacred poem "Baptisma" for soprano, baritone, female choir and small orchestra, and the motet "Christus circumdedit me" for soprano, choir and orchestra.

At the end of the performance the Pope made some brief remarks. "For you", he said in his thanks to Cardinal Bartolucci, "music is a special language with which to communicate the faith of the Church and to help those who hear your works along their own journey of faith".

"This evening" Benedict XVI concluded, "you caused us to turn our hearts to Mary in prayer, the most beloved prayer of Christian tradition. Yet you also led us back to the beginning of our journey of faith, to the liturgy of Baptism, the moment in which we became Christian: an invitation always to drink from the only water that can quench our thirst - the living God - and to commit ourselves day after to day to rejecting evil and to renewing our faith with the affirmation 'I believe!'"

BXVI-CONCERT/ VIS 20110901 (290)

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER

VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for September is: "That all teachers may know how to communicate love of the truth and instil authentic moral and spiritual values".

His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of Asia may proclaim the Gospel with fervour, witnessing to its beauty with the joy of faith".

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Chile.

- Seven prelates of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias.

- Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur.

- Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Damao, patriarch of the East Indies, accompanied by Archbishop and Patriarch emeritus Nicolau Gonsalves.

- Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes S.J. of Gandhinagar.

- Archbishop Bernard Blasius Moras of Bangalore.

AMERICA: USA: BISHOPS: CREATE DECENT WAGE JOBS- HELP POOR

USCCB REPORT: WASHINGTON—As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction meets to address the issue of longterm budget deficit reduction, the bishops who lead the international and domestic policy committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged them to remember the poor and vulnerable in their deliberations.

“The moral measure of this historic process is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how the jobless, hungry, homeless and poor are treated,” said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York, and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, in an August 31 letter to members of the super committee.

“We understand that the fiscal status quo is unsustainable, with mounting deficits and growing debt for our children,” the bishops wrote. “We also recognize the economic and moral importance of creating jobs with decent wages and spurring economic growth as essential strategies to improve our economy, decrease poverty and reduce future deficits and debts. The question is how to fulfill the demands of justice and moral obligations to future generations and protect the lives and dignity of those who are poor and vulnerable.”

“We fear the human and social costs of substantial cuts to programs that serve families working to make ends meet and escape poverty,” the bishops wrote. “At a time of record foreclosures, increasing poverty and high unemployment it is not justifiable to weaken the national safety net or to make disproportionate cuts to programs that can help low and moderate income families avert crisis and live in dignity.

“We especially fear the costs of undermining poverty-focused international assistance, which is an essential tool to promote human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and enhance global security,” the bishops wrote. “Substantial cuts to these programs would be devastating to many who struggle daily to survive and to find shelter, food and medicine. These cuts could result in the loss of innocent lives...”

“Cuts to funding for refugee admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs would have devastating effects on Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa recipients, victims of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied alien children, and other vulnerable populations,” the bishops wrote. Bishop Hubbard and Bishop Blaire chair the USCCB Committees on International Justice and Peace and Domestic Justice and Human Development, respectively.

The full text of the letter can be found online: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/economic-justice-economy/upload/letter-to-supercommittee-budget-deficit-2011-08-31.pdf

EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: RIP FR. ALAN FUDGE: 'ICON OF CHRIST'

Fr Alan Fudge after Baptism IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT: The Requiem Mass for Father Alan Fudge, parish priest at Ogle Street, central London will take place tomorrow morning ( Friday) at Westminster Cathedral at 11.30am. The chief celebrant will be Archbishop Vincent Nichols. The burial will be in Saint Mary’s cemetery at Kensal Green. After the Mass, and after the burial, there will be an Agape in the parish hall of Holy Apostles in Pimlico. A note on the Ogle Street parish website says: 'An Agape is more than some refreshments – it is an extension of the liturgy. We enjoy a communion with each other that only God can create.' Today, (Thursday, 1 September) everyone is also welcome to Ogle Street for the reception of the body at 2pm and for the for the Liturgy of the Word at 8pm. Tribute by Vincent Harrington Alan James Fudge was born in Bristol on 31 December 1940 during an air raid attack. He was the only son of Jim Fudge, himself an only child, and of Phyllis Dibble, one of a large and bustling family of ten children. They were married on Boxing Day 1939. Jim was not a Catholic and Alan did not attend a Catholic school. In his early teens he was taken by a friend to the Jesuit Church of St Mary on the Quay where his maternal grandmother lived. He developed a great love for the parish, the liturgy and the Jesuit priests there, becoming an altar boy and he soon began to display his talent for music on the organ. It was there, at the age of 15, that Alan made his first Holy Communion. His vocation developed steadily from about this time. His first thought was to become a Jesuit lay brother in order to live a life of prayer, a gift which he certainly received. The priests at St Mary helped him to discover his calling to the priesthood, though not as a Jesuit. He retained a lifelong affection and gratitude towards the Jesuits and a great love for St Ignatius. After working for a time in the offices of a paper manufacturing company, in 1961, he left employment and went to the Jesuit house of studies at Osterley to continue his education. While there, he became attracted to the missions and joined the White Fathers, an order dedicated to the mission in Africa. He studied with them at Blacklion in Ireland and at Totteridge in North London and received the habit on 8 September 1965. The international make up of his fellow students who came from so many different parts of the globe he always considered a great blessing in his formation, as indeed was the excitement of the Second Vatican Council taking placing during his seminary years. However, it transpired that the White Fathers was not to be the path for Alan and, after further studies at the diocesan Seminary at Ware, he was ordained deacon on 29 June 1970 for the Diocese of Westminster and served in the parish of St Thomas of Canterbury, at Fulham in London. Meanwhile his father had undergone instruction in the faith, and to Alan’s great joy, Jim Fudge was received into the Catholic Church. Alan was ordained priest on 10 July 1971, a swelteringly hot summer’s day, by Bishop Victor Guazzelli, at St Mary on the Quay. His first appointment was to the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, Marylebone, where he was also chaplain to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, a ministry which kept him extremely busy and which he grew to love greatly. There he revealed a talent for preaching firmly based on his own love of scripture and his familiarity with biblical studies: his desire was always to engage the Word with the everyday experiences of his congregation. In September 1977, he accepted his appointment as curate to the nearby parish of St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street, and as chaplain to the Middlesex Hospital. The parish had been due for closure. However, he succeeded Fr Ronald Cox as parish priest on 14th September 1981, continuing to serve the Middlesex, and other hospitals in the parish, as chaplain, though he was now on his own. One of his overriding concerns was to re-instruct and catechise lapsed, baptised Catholic adults, of whom he saw more and more. In the aftermath of the Council, and of the sexual revolution and increasing secularisation, Fr Alan suspected that this would require a more sustained, long-term and radical approach. Before he became parish priest, he had been introduced to the Neo-Catechumenal Way by his friend and White Father confrere, Fr Angel Iglesias. With the permission of Fr Cox, he invited an initial Catechesis to the parish and the Neo-Catechumenal Way began there on 16th October 1978, the same evening that John Paul II was elected Pope – a date he had always considered significant. The first community, of which he himself was a member, came into being, and an annual catechesis for adults continued every year for the next 33 years. This sustained adult catechesis accompanying a journey of faith for countless parishioners and aimed specifically at renewing the grace of baptism, was his life’s work. Whatever fruits arose from his catechetical endeavours and his zeal for ‘re-evangelisation’ – and there were many (marriages, children, vocations, courses, Mass attendance, local evangelisation, rediscovery of the all night Easter Vigil) – he would refuse any credit, believing these were the fruits of God’s work, regarding himself more often as an obstacle. But it was a source of joy to his priesthood, and comprised what he repeatedly called ‘just straightforward Christianity’. To emphasise the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, with the full co-operation of the diocesan liturgical commission, he reordered the church beautifully, installing, among other things, an octagonal baptismal font in which even adults could receive baptism by immersion. This was completed in 1984. Alan always took great care to maintain and renew the furnishings of the church, to make it welcoming as a place of prayer, and very often he was himself to be seen praying there. Although Fr Alan had no assistant priest, he often gave hospitality to priests and seminarians from around the world who were studying and needed to stay in central London. In turn they assisted him in the work of the parish during their stays. One such was Fr Justin Furaha from Rwanda, subsequently murdered there, and later, for a long period, Fr Jesse Amedze from Ghana. Though by nature a very private person, and most comfortable with his family and close friends, Alan’s hospitality extended far beyond his immediate circumstances. Thanks to his hard-working Scottish housekeeper of many years, Sister Agnes, he was able invite whoever he wished to his table. The presbytery was nearly always full of visitors, some staying for long periods. He was keenly grateful for the generosity of his parishioners. His care for others was genuine, spontaneous and very deep. As a priest, he often said, God called him to be an ‘icon of Christ’, and while he considered himself a poor replica, he consciously made himself available, virtually day and night, for those who required confession, spiritual direction or merely to talk at length about their troubles: from the richest to the poorest. He genuinely believed that most priests had no real idea how much their flock truly loved them. However, most people will remember Fr Alan for his dignified and beautiful celebration of the Liturgy, and in particular his homilies in which he ‘broke the bread of the Word’, week after week, season after season. He preserved this gift to the end, always explaining the context and richness of the readings as ‘word’ of God, relating them to real events in the lives of his hearers and, above all, proclaiming the love of God for sinners and the salvation that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his final weeks, weakened by illness, he insisted on celebrating the two Holy Communion Masses, in each delivering the ‘kerygmatic’ announcement to which he was a devoted disciple, in ever more simple and resonant terms. He considered a homily without the ‘kerygma,’ that is the clear and hopeful announcement of the death and resurrection of Christ, was a disservice to his flock. During his last Mass, celebrated on the fortieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, he gathered strength to give thanks to God for his vocation, his parish, and the many blessings he had received. He asked forgiveness of God and his flock for his shortcomings. Many will also remember his weekly newsletters, in which he distilled the words of his homilies. When congratulated on their pithy charm and insightfulness he would retort that he had never had an original idea of his own, and praise was due to others gone before him. Others will remember him as their catechist and how they benefitted from his frankness, insights, and deep personal faith in the Gospel. Others again will remember the many First Communion classes, Confirmation and Marriage courses presented over the many years by Alan together with his many teams of catechists. He had great admiration and faith in the laity, among whom he had many collaborators and from whom he in turn received great inspiration. It was a great personal joy for Alan to encourage and nurture those from the ‘communities’ who felt a vocation to the priesthood, and he was responsible for their formation for a time. He continued to help them as spiritual director at the Redemptoris Mater House of Formation in London. Many other priests and seminarians have had the benefit of his spiritual direction. Though adult catechesis was for him the real work of the parish, Alan was open to other initiatives: AA groups meeting nearly every evening, an Angolan prayer group, occasional meetings of Youth 2000 and the weekly meetings of the charismatic prayer group Soul Food. They now make use of the rooms in the crypt which was dug out and opened in 1990 to accommodate the neo-catechumenal communities, the other parish courses and catechesis. A project dearly loved by Alan, the second stage of this work is due to be completed next year. He also had a long and amicable relationship with local pastors, religious leaders, and especially with the local synagogue. Alan became ill in March and spent a month of investigations at UCL hospital before having an operation to remove colon cancer. This was successful, but there was also a tumour on his lung and the treatment for this had no effect. However the end came quickly. He had returned home to the presbytery where his cousin Anne was among those caring for him. They accompanied him throughout his illness. He died peacefully at 3am on 5 August, as they were reciting the Creed at his bedside. In a letter concerning his wishes about his funeral he had said ‘…I wish to die professing the Faith of Our Holy Mother the Church…’ He placed himself in to the hands of his merciful Father, Our Lady, St Charles Borromeo, St Ignatius, St John Vianney and his most beloved intercessor, St Therese of Lisieux. To see a short film with Fr Alan introducing Ogle Street go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU54gIfICo0 http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=18794

ASIA: KOREA: CONCERT TO END DEATH PENALTY

UCAN REPORT: Songs and discussions form background to plea to end death penalty

Korea
September 1, 2011

Writer Mary Gong Ji-young talking at a recital against the death penalty

The Korean Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Abolition of Capital Punishment organised a concert and recital on August 30 to promote awareness about ending the death penalty.

Some 80 participants, mostly in their 20s and 30s, enjoyed songs from guest singers and a talk-in with a well-known author at the Catholic Youth Center, Seoul.

Mary Gong Ji-young, whose best-selling book is about prisoners on death row, said during the concert: “I have met many condemned criminals since I started to write the novel in 2003. I will be willing to join such events until the death penalty disappears.”

She has voluntarily visited condemned criminals once a month as a part of a Catholic social correction service.

Sister Lutgarda Cho, coordinator of the subcommittee, said “We planned the concert to lead young people to think about the dignity of life and capital punishment while enjoying songs and talks.”

Concerts will be held once a month till December and Bishop Matthias Ri Iong-hoon of Suwon, president of the subcommittee, will celebrate a Mass for abolition of capital punishment in November.

South Korea was classified as ‘abolitionist in practice’ after 10 years with no executions since the end of 1997. But there is still no legal bar to the death penalty, and the Constitutional Court ruled last year that is still constitutional.

There were some 60 condemned criminals as of June 2011.

http://www.ucanews.com/2011/09/01/author-joins-abolitionist-concert/

AUSTRALIA: CALL TO PARTICIPATE ANTI-POVERTY WEEK

ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE REPORT:

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has called on Catholic communities to participate in Anti-Poverty Week, 16-22 October.

In a letter to schools, parishes and agencies, Archbishop Hart wrote that poverty attacks people’s God-given dignity through inhibiting education and denying people basic privileges.

“Our faith compels us to take a stand against poverty in all its manifestations. As Catholics we have a rich social doctrine and moral teaching which binds us to respond to the cry of the poor,” Archbishop Hart said.

“Anti-Poverty Week … is a time for us to reflect on the Gospel message of Jesus to clothe the naked, feed the hungry and to visit the sick and imprisoned.”

He said many local agencies worked for the alleviation of poverty and marginalisation in the areas of homelessness, aboriginal disadvantage, drug and alcohol abuse and those living with physical or mental illness.

“I encourage your participation in the mission of evangelisation by participating in initiatives to inform, educate and transform our world,” Archbishop Hart said.

“I invite you to support the shared work undertaken by Agencies of the Archdiocese in promoting awareness of Anti-Poverty Week in schools, parishes, deaneries and associated groups.”

For details on Anti-Poverty Week, visit www.antipovertyweek.org.au.

http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/call-to-participate-in-anti-poverty-week.html

AFRICA: NIGERIA: ARCHBISHOP DISTURBED BY VIOLENCE

CISA REPORT –The church in Nigeria has raised the red flag about the latest inter-faiths violence in the country describing it as “worrisome, sad and even embarrassing.”

According to Rt Rev Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos in an interview with Fides, underlining the bitterness over the new violence that struck his city on August 29.

According to press agencies, a group of Muslims who were preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan were attacked by some young Christians in a city district in central Nigeria.

Archbishop Kaigama, who is in Abuja for a meeting of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, reconstructed the events for Fides:”It was a dispute between a group of Muslims that were heading towards a particular area, and another group of young Christians who went to pray in the same area. A discussion over who owned the area broke out, which unfortunately resulted in violence and caused deaths, injuries and property damage, the destruction of several cars and other vehicles.”

Tension remain high in Nigeria, following an attack on the UN headquarters in the federal capital Abuja that killed 23 people.

“All this is quite alarming. This situation involves civil authorities who must ensure safety. We hope something is done urgently. The Nigerians also feel sad and feel a sense of shame for the continuing violence. As Bishops, we continue to direct appeals to the authorities to do their duty and the population to adopt dialogue as a way to resolve disputes”, said Archbishop Kaigama

http://www.cisanewsafrica.com/

TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 1: ST. GILES

St. Giles

ABBOT
Feast: September 1
Information: Feast Day: September 1

Born: Athens, Greece

Died: France
Major Shrine: St. Giles' Cathedral (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Patron of: beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; epilepsy; fear of night; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; noctiphobics; outcasts; poor peoples; rams; spur makers; sterility;
An Abbot, said to have been born of illustrious Athenian parentage about the middle of the seventh century. Early in life he devoted himself exclusively to spiritual things, but, finding his noble birth and high repute for sanctity in his native land an obstacle to his perfection, he passed over to Gaul, where he established himself first in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone and later by the River Gard. But here again the fame of his sanctity drew multitudes to him, so he withdrew to a dense forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a hind. This last retreat was finally discovered by the king's hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. The king [who according to the legend was Wamba (or Flavius?), King of the Visigoths, but who must have been a Frank, since the Franks had expelled the Visigoths from the neighbourhood of Nîmes almost a century and a half earlier] conceived a high esteem for solitary, and would have heaped every honour upon him; but the humility of the saint was proof against all temptations. He consented, however, to receive thenceforth some disciples, and built a monastery in his valley, which he placed under the rule of St. Benedict. Here he died in the early part of the eighth century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles.
His cult spread rapidly far and wide throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as is witnessed by the numberless churches and monasteries dedicated to him in France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the British Isles; by the numerous manuscripts in prose and verse commemorating his virtues and miracles; and especially by the vast concourse of pilgrims who from all Europe flocked to his shrine. In 1562 the relics of the saint were secretly transferred to Toulouse to save them from the hideous excesses of the Huguenots who were then ravaging France, and the pilgrimage in consequence declined. With the restoration of a great part of the relics to the church of St. Giles in 1862, and the discovery of his former tomb there in 1865, the pilgrimages have recommenced. Besides the city of St-Gilles, which sprang up around the abbey, nineteen other cities bear his name, St-Gilles, Toulouse, and a multitude of French cities, Antwerp, Bridges, and Tournai in Belgium, Cologne and Bamberg, in Germany, Prague and Gran in Austria-Hungary, Rome and Bologna in Italy, possess celebrated relics of St. Giles. In medieval art he is a frequent subject, being always depicted with his symbol, the hind. His feast is kept on 1 September. On this day there are also commemorated another St. Giles, an Italian hermit of the tenth century (Acta SS., XLI, 305), and a Blessed Giles, d. about 1203, a Cistercian abbot of Castaneda in the Diocese of Astorga, Spain (op. cit. XLI, 308).
SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/G/stgiles.asp

TODAY'S GOSPEL: SEPT. 1: LUKE 5: 1-11

Luke 5: 1 - 11
1	While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret.
2	And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3	Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4	And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
5	And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."
6	And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking,
7	they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
8	But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
9	For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken;
10	and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men."
11	And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.